fleischer



P. W. FLEISCHER.

CAN FEEDING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3. 1916- 1,375,371. Patented Apr. 19, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

IIIIIII Did:

P. w. FLEISCHEB.

CAN FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3. 1916.

1,375,371 Patented Apr. 19, 1921.

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5 1. 111721 1 22111 1 m 1; HI j E UNITED STATES PAUL W. FLEISCHER, OF WEST HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGN CAN COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF PATENT OFFICE.

OR TO AMERICAN NEW JERSEY.

CAN -FEEDIN G MECHANISM.

T 0 all ham it may concern Be it known that I, PAUL W. FLEISCHER, a citizen of the United States, residing in West Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey have invented'a new and useful Improvement in Can- Feeding Mechanisms, of which the followlng 1s a specification.

This invention relates to can feeding mechanisms and more particularly to mechanisms provided for the feeding of filled, open-top cans to a heading machine.

In the delivery of filled cans for heading it is particularly desirable that the cans be received by the heading mechanism mov ng at a speed that will permit the head ng mechanism to operate at high capacity. These cans being full, the material in them is easily spilled, and particularly if the cans receive any sudden jerk or abrupt acceleration. 7

This invention has for its principal object' the provision of a mechanism which will permit the can to be received by a slow moving part and thereafter accelerate the can to higher speed before it reaches the heading station.

A further object of the invention is the provision of such a mechanism which will be of sure and positive operation and of 7 simple and economic construction. Thls last feature of the invention is of material importance, for machines of this character are intended to be used by the individual canners or packers, many of whom have relatively little knowledge of and skill in the handl ng of complicated machinery. The provision of simple mechanism insures also against the necessity of frequent repairs wh1ch a great many of the users of these mechanisms or machines are not equipped to perform.

Otherobjects and advantages of the 1nvention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof.

On the drawings, 0 Figure 1 is a partial perspective view of a can heading machine equipped wlth a mechanism embodying. my present nvention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of so much of Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented Apr. 19, 1921.

Application filed June 3, 1916. Serial No. 101,471.

the machine as is necessary for its disclosure.

F g. 3 is a vertical section showing certain deta ls of construction; and

F 1g. 1s a plan View partly in section of the device provided to prevent slipping of the cans in the mechanism. 1

For the purpose of illustrating my invent1on I have shown on the drawing a can heading machine having any suitable base A, can heading parts and mechanisms generally lndicated at B, which it is believed need not be described in this specification.

continuously traveling endless conveyer C delivers the cans singly and at proper speed for best efliciency to a can heading station D. This conveyer receives its cans at what may be termed the higher rate of speed from a rotating disk E of relatively large diameter which what may be termed the lower rate of speed and delivers them at the higher.

The disk E is rotated in synchronism with the endless conveyer C, the peripheral speed of the disk being substantially equal to the linear speed of the endless conveyer. This movement of the disk is accomplished from the endless conveyer by a chain drive 11 engaging a sprocket wheel 12 on a shaft 13 keyed to the sprocket wheel 14 about which the conveyer travels, and engaging also a sprocket wheel 15 mounted upon a shaft 16 which is keyed to the hub 17 of the disk, the ratio of the various sprocket wheels being appropriate to give the desired speed relation.

An outer sheet metal guide 18 and an inner sheet metal guide 19 are provided to direct the cans from near the center of the rotatable disk at the receiving station to its periphery at the point where the cans are delivered to the endless conveyer. Both guides are of general volute form, and are arranged to receive the filled cans near the center or hub 17 of the disk. The front end 21 of the guide 18 is curved as indicated in the figures to permit the operator to slide a can onto the disk and in toward its center almost to the hub 17. The hub is provided with a plurality of outwardly extending can spacers 22 which are adapted to distribute and engage behind successive cans as they pressed outward by springs in a known receives the cans at manner, asset forth in my Patent 1,320,749, granted Nov. 4:, 1919.

The disk is provided with radial slots 28 in number equal to the number of spacing elements 22. In each slot is positioned a vertically movable blade or member 24: which is best shown in Figs. 3 and 4.. Each of these blades is pivoted beneath the disk at 25 and moves in an appropriate slot. It has also an arm27 extending downwardly and provided with a roller 28 at its lower end, which roller travels in a cam groove 29 of a collar 81 mounted upon the hub, this groove causing the arms'or blades 26 to beretracted or withdrawn from above the upper surface of the disk at the receiving station and causing them to rise above the upper face of the disk as the cans start to move away from the hub under the action of the guides 18 and 19. At and near the receiving station the members 24: are retracted to inoperativeposition in order that the slots 23 may slide under the cans as may be necessary when the cans are being arranged in single file or succession by the spaces 22. The portions of the arms 26 extending above the face of the disk prevent the cans slipping rearward and allow them to slide toward the outer edge of the disk after they are moved away from the spacing elements 22 and insure a positive and equally spaced delivery to the conveyer C.

The two guides 18 and 19 form a path that is continuous from the delivery station to the heading station, the guide 18 being broken away at 32 to permit the passage of upwardly extending elements 33 upon the conveyer C, The elements 33 are spaced apart a distance equal to the are of the periphery of the disk included between two radial slots 23, and the movements are so timed that one element comes gently against the rear of each can as it leaves the disk. The two guides are arranged so that the movement of the cans from contact with the spacing elements 22 to, the outer edge of the disk is gradual and of evenacceleration, as may be seen by viewing Fig. 2.

It will be manifest that the embodiment of the invention just described requires the addition of few and simple parts to the ordinary can heading machine, which parts are so constructed and arranged as to be durable and require few repairs. 1

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may ing, in combination, a continuously rotating can support having a can-carrying surface on which cans may slide, fixed guides extending around the center of rotation for guiding the cans away from said center, canpropelling members movable to points below and to points above the can-carrying surface of said support, and yielding canspacing means movable radially toward and from said center and on and relative to which the cans may roll rearward for the purpose of being spaced before said canpropelling members rise to can-engaging and propelling position.

2. A can-conveying mechanism comprising, in combination, a continuously rotating can support having a can-carrying surface on which cans may slide, fixed guides extending around the center of rotation for guiding the cans away from said center,

can-propelling members movable to points below and to points above the can-carrying surface of said support, and can-spacing means movable radially toward and from said center and on and relative to which the cans may roll rearward for the purpose of being spaced before said can-propelling members rise to can-engaging and propelling position, said can'spacing means being arranged substantially in radial line with said can-propelling members.

8. A can-conveying mechanism comprising, in combination, a continuously rotating can support having a can carrying surface on which cans may slide, fixed guides extending around the center of rotation for guiding the cans away from said center, inclinable can-propelling members mounted at their inner ends on pivots which are arranged transversely to said members and movable to points below and to points above the can-carrying surface of said support, and can-spacing means movable radially to ward and from said center and on and relative to which the cans may roll rearward for the purpose of being spaced before said can propelling members rise to can-enga means movable independently of said can propelling members for the purpose of. entering between and spacing ,the cans, and actuating means for moving said can-propelling members and said can spacing means.

5. A can-conveying mechanism comprising, in combination, a continuously rotating can support, fixed guides extending around the center of rotation for guiding the cans away from said center, and tiltable can-propelling members mounted at their ends only on pivots which are arranged transversely to said members, said members having their other ends movable to points below and to points above the can-carrying surface of said support.

6. A can-conveying mechanism comprising, in combination, a continuously rotating can support, fixed guides extending around the center of rotation for guiding the cans away from said center, radially arranged and tiltable can-propelling members movable to points below and to points above the can-carrying surface of said support, and an outwardly acting cam having means for raising and lowering the ends of said propelling members.

7. A can conveying mechanism comprising, in combination, a continuously rotating can support having a can-carrying surface on which cans may slide, can-spacing devices arranged around the center of said support and movable inwardly and outwardly and adapted to enter partly between the cans when the same are spaced, can-propelling means spaced around said support and movable upwardly and downwardly near the can-carrying surface of the same to engage With and disengage from the cans, and means for guiding the cans away from the center of said support.

Signed in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PAUL W. FLEISOHER. Witnesses C. W. GRAHAM, D. F. MENNIS. 

